Santa Maria Sun / News

Political Watch 09.02

• On Aug. 27, Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) announced that the Department of Education approved California’s application for $1.2 billion to fund teachers’ jobs in the upcoming year.

Capps voted for the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, which allowed the funding.

“I applaud the Department of Education’s quick action to get this much needed funding to California to invest in our kids and keep teachers in the classroom,” Capps said in a statement. “This investment, in conjunction with an additional $487 million in Recovery Act funding for education jobs in California announced last week, will go a long way toward ensuring that children on the Central and South coasts start the school year off right.”

• On Aug. 26 the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors announced Cathleen M. Fisher as the new agricultural commissioner/sealer of weights and measures.

“Agriculture is such an important part of our community,” Chair Janet Wolf said, “and the board is pleased to have Cathleen join the county family and lead the department. I know she will be an asset to the county and the agricultural community.”

Fisher was chief deputy agricultural commissioner/sealer of weights and measures for Contra Costa County. She has 22 years of experience working in the agricultural field and has a Master’s degree in public administration. Her annual salary is $145,000. She’ll start her new position on Oct. 4.